Dimorphoteka (Cape marigold) is a beautiful plant of the Aster family. It is unpretentious and may well be cultivated even in the conditions of central Russia, but in this case it is better to grow it through seedlings.
How to grow dimorphotek
You can grow dimorphoteka by sowing seeds directly into open ground in May. It blooms in 7-8 weeks after the first shoots appear. In areas with short summers and for early flowering, dimorphoteka is grown through seedlings. Then she will delight you with bright colors in June. There are many species, but they are usually cultivated in gardens: – notched dimorphoteca; – rain dimorphoteka.
To grow seedlings of Cape marigolds, you can sow seeds at home in seedling boxes, which are filled with special soil for flowers. Each seed is buried 1 cm and the soil is slightly compacted. The seedling boxes must be covered with glass or foil, so that the moisture in the air and soil will be preserved.
Dimorphoteka emerges on the 15-20th day, if the temperature is maintained at about 15 ° C. The shelter must be removed immediately. When the sprouts get stronger and grow up, a pick is carried out. Better to transplant dimorphotek into peat or plastic pots, one plant in each container. At the same time, they act carefully, separating the plant from the plant, without injuring the roots.
The width of the pick pots can be about 6 cm in diameter
On well-lit windowsills, seedlings develop quickly, naturally, provided that they are well-watered. When the weather is warm outside and the threat of frost has passed, the dimorphoteka is planted in a flower garden at a distance of 25 cm from the plant. It looks good in plantings with such annuals as: – Pelargonium; – Petunia; – Venidium; – Heliotrope, etc.
Dimorphoteka can be planted in well-lit rocky gardens, where it stands out well against the background of other plants and decorative elements, especially if you plant different varieties.
Plants must be planted carefully, taking care not to damage the root system. Cape marigolds are very capricious in this regard. Therefore, it is recommended to grow them in peat pots.
How to care for dimorphoteka
Cape marigolds are unpretentious, but nevertheless, for abundant and long-term flowering, you need to water the flower beds in time. By the way, an excess of moisture in a hot summer has a negative effect on the condition of the stems and leaves, gray rot quickly develops in dampness, which not only spoils the appearance of plants, but can also lead to their death. Caring for dimorphoteka is simple, you just need to weed the soil from weeds in time and loosen it to better supply the roots of flowers with oxygen.